This invention relates to the field of holders for a stack of empty containers, particularly, of circular or annular peripheral configuration, including covers for such containers. In particular, the holder in accordance with this invention is for convenient storage of an accumulation of empty plastic margarine containers and covers, or containers and covers of similar kind in which other food products are sold. Such containers are useful for a variety of purposes after the margarine or other food product has been consumed, but there is need for a holder in which to keep such containers in an orderly and neat manner as they accumulate. The containers are not all of the same size diameter, and the purchaser does not known in advance what the diameter size is going to be of a particular kind of food or other container he decides to keep after the contents have been used. Therefore, the holder for this particular use should have retaining means which can be adjusted to accommodate the diametric dimension of different size containers. That is particularly important for a holder such as the present invention which utilizes the minimum number of retaining rods needed to hold circular objects against lateral movement, namely three of them spaced apart arcuately at one hundred and twenty degree intervals. They should seat fairly close to the rim of such circular objects. If they do not, the straight line distance between retaining rods spaced apart arcuately at one hundred twenty degree intervals becomes large enough for small diameter objects to slip through.
The invention as shown and described herein has two sets of three positioning recesses spaced apart arcuately at one hundred twenty degree intervals, one set centered on an outer concentric circle and the second on an inner concentric circle. Two of such sets of positioning recesses are generally adequate for ordinary household use, but any number of sets of recesses centered on any number of radially spaced apart concentric circle may be used.
While the holder in accordance with this invention has been developed particularly for orderly storage of empty margarine containers and their covers, and other food containers after the contents have been used up, it can be made in different sizes for orderly storage and accumulation of a variety of circular objects as small as coins and washers to as large as hub caps for cars and even larger. The features of using a minimum of three retaining rods at one hundred twenty degree intervals, positionable in recesses centered on a plurality of concentric circles of different size diameters, makes this invention adaptable for many different uses where orderly storage of a collection of circular objects is desired.
None of the prior art holders for objects of the type mentioned which are known to the inventor include such features. Prior art holders in this general category are disclosed and described in the following United States patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,718 discloses a device for storing a plurality of dishes or the like in a plurality of stacks. It includes angularly shaped uprights having a general shape and dimension conforming to that of plates and other dishes stacked therebetween, and divider panels to separate into compartments for a plurality of stacks.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,168,229 discloses a plate holder comprising a wire frame that has five upright rods supporting and connected to three vertically spaced apart arcuate rods, a circular base having two concentric rings supported by six spokes extending from a central hub, and having a handle at the top for carrying.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,544,053 discloses a dish holder having an elongated cavity for a stack of dishes bounded by a plurality of elongated relatively broad retaining strips secured at each end to an end wall.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,538,612 discloses a bakery cake tin rack comprising a wire frame having six arcuately spaced apart elongated rods connected at each end to a ring member, the bottom ring having a pair of cross-bars and a handle connected to the top ring, and a third ring midway between each end connected to support the six arcuately spaced elongated rods.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,307,241 discloses a portable cup assembly comprising a C-shaped frame, in which the bottom leg of the C provides a base for saucers having a cross-leg with an upright at each end, the top leg of the C provides a handle to carry the unit, and a hanger rod extends below the top leg of the C and roughly parallel thereto on which cups are hung by the hanger rod extending through the cup handles.
U.S. Pat. No. 1989,841 discloses a dish rack having a pair of spaced apart horizontal bars covered with a flexible material such as rubber to support dishes thereon for rinsing and the like, the horizontal support bars being conntected at each end to upright end walls.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,952,457 discloses a rack for baking tins and the like comprising a wire frame having six elongated rods spaced apart arcuately, connected to an ovular ring at each end and to three intermediate spaced apart arcuate rods between each end.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,127,319 discloses a rack or holder for poker chips and a drawer for the cards. The rack comprises a rectangular base having four spaced apart upright posts along one long edge and four also spaced apart along the opposite long edge, with a handle extending upwardly midway between the two rows of posts and a single upright post between the two legs of the handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 584,906 discloses a hat displayer comprising four spaced apart upright rods having an L-bend at their lower end, the horizontal leg of each rod extending inwardly toward a two part base member which has four recesses in the bottom part to receive the horizontal leg of each rod and which includes a top cover part screwed to the bottom part to hold the horizontal legs of the rods in place. The horizontal legs of each rod terminate in a right-angle bend which bears against the top cover apart when put in place to thereby hold the vertical leg of each rod in the upright position.